


Unravelling

by snowynight



Category: Marvel 616
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Don't Have to Know Canon, Established Relationship, F/F, Female Character In Command, Female Protagonist, Rare Pairing, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-01
Updated: 2011-02-01
Packaged: 2017-10-15 06:52:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/158181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowynight/pseuds/snowynight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Computer has conquered the world, but the fight for liberty and love never ceases.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unravelling

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my beta, Jazzypom!

The name was only whispered among the hackers, in a dark night where only the drones stayed.

They said that she was the most powerful hacker ---no, what she did was the act of a goddess. Every security system yielded, every encryption protocol given up like a confession, every information was within her grip; every hacker was like a clumsy child playing with sand compared with her. They whispered her name with wonder, surprise and admiration, as if it were a spell that could open the portal to all dimensions.

The Scarlet Witch.

This other name was cursed on, sworn at, dragged out in the day and night. There were so many legends about her: They said that she had once walked into the most secure military base barehanded, and left with the commander’s head in her hand bag, unnoticed. They said that even the most badass marine would wilt like a flower and surrender all the darkest secret to her in minutes. They said that once she left a note in the Computer’s room, just because. They aimed and shot targets with her name, as if the action could bring distress to the person. The name was War Bird.

These are their stories.

The Computer spread its influence subtly, working through all the barriers one by one. It expanded into every aspects of human life, until the day the humanity woke up in the morning and signed their lives over to the Computer. The Computer controlled where they lived, where they went, what they saw and finally what they were.

Now the humans are bred in the sterilized lab, grown in capsuled filled with liquid, their mind linked up in an intensive network, their thought a current of data, their bodies as a vessel for the collective supplement processor.

Humans brains functioned best to solve problems relevant to their lives, to communicate ideas in the form they were familiar to. It was the limit of them. But the Computer was patient. It built up an analog of virtual reality to help the humans to conceptualize the 0’s and 1’s.

The blushing girl who’s waiting to hand the love letter to her best friend was doing as good a work as the brilliant programmer who stayed up all night to fix the bug in her program. Humans loved, hated, lived and died, and they all served the purpose of the Computer.

However, in every perfect world there were limitations, distortion and ruins, and this world was no exception. A small group of people with their cursed mutated genetics, dared to deviate from the norm and lashed back at the Computer. They crawled in the abandoned tunnels and sessions that were shut off due to the Computer’s whim, and dreamt of a world that they could taste freedom.

War Bird and Scarlett Witch were two of them.

Carol descended to the ground and carefully walked through the labyrinth that the tunnel network consisted of , the place they called home. Water leaked from the ceiling and dripped on her, wetting everything one could touch and the stink would be suffocating if Carol wasn’t used to it. This place she’d called home was neither beneficent nor malignant, or it could be called both. It hid them away from the watchful eyes of the Computer, but it also sheltered beasts and machine that can swallow your body whole. Carol walked through them day by day, and even she wasn’t sure she could manage to master it one day.

“Wanda?” Carol asked when she reached the immersion chamber and saw the shadow in scarlet.

The shadow turned around.

Basking in the light of the computer screens, Wanda looked a bit like a fairy accidentally trapped in this metallic world. Carol thought, then got angry at her stupidity.

“I’m waiting for you,” Wanda said softly.

“Time to go now,” Carol said. She went to her chair and signalled the technical staff to start the immersion process. “No matter how many times i do this, I still feel creepy,” she complained.

Wanda smiled and said, “To think you’ve been there for almost forever-----” It brought Carol back to the time she had first met Wanda.

***

Carol’s cell phone rang. She excused herself, walked to the corridor to receive the phone call. “Watch out. They’re here now,” a voice said. The the call went off. Carol turned and see the Agents were coming here. She recognised them as her former fellow colleagues and knew that everything would be too late if she didn’t escape now. People disappeared in their hands. Carol thumped her fist between the eyes of her pursuer, and jumped over the balcony outside the window. She followed the rail to the aerial ladder outside the building, and ran down the ladder. She looked up and saw that the agents in black were still on her trail.

“Follow me,” The woman in red said. She led her through alleys and corners, and reached a telephone stand. She took up the phone and said, “Beam us up, Captain.”

Then Carol found herself in an office with blank walls, There was a computer and a black device on the office desk, and even some stacked files. A black woman with white hair sat opposite to her and said, “I am Storm. This is Scarlet Witch. Please take a seat.”

 _So this woman is the one she’s been in contact for days._ , Carol thought and tensed. “Is it a trick?

“It is not. But the Computer was pulling a trick on you, in all your life.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know it. Otherwise you won’t be here.”

Carol was silent. She _knew_ somethings didn’t catch up. The evasive look of the superiors, the figures that didn’t count up, the missing persons. After a number of false leads, her pursuit of the truth led her here.

“What’s this device on the desk?” Carol asked.

“It can disrupt any tracking devices on you, or inside you.”

Carol did enough espionage work to know the plausibility. That she could be injected with such a device without notice made her wince, though.

“What can you tell me?” Carol asked.

Storm waved her hand. A lightning flashed through the room, followed by a thunder. Carol was startled.

“You’re a mutant,” Carol said. It wasn’t a question.

Storm said, “And you are one of us too.”

Carol was silent. She still recalled the first time she ha found herself other than ordinary, and her father’s shocked expression then “You can never find a place in the world,” He had said. And how she had worked to prove him wrong. Hiding had become practically her second nature.

“There is no going back now,” Storm said, “The Computer has discovered your secret. You only options are to fight or perish. Join us. Join our fight against the Computer.”

Carol’s glance lingered on the Scarlet Witch, and thought she could almost see an invitation in her eyes. She looked back at Storm. Should she trust these people, giving up what all she knew and began a life of fugitive?

It was a stupid risk. But what was Carol if she dared not take a risk?

“It seems that I’ve no choice.” She stretched out her hand.

Storm shook her hand. “Welcome.”

Carol’s mind returned to now and her gaze finally stopped at Wanda beside her. There was a challenge in her eyes, in her smile, and when Carol looked down, she found that Wanda had pulled down her gloves a bit, showing the skin beneath. A heat shot up to Carol’s brain. Wanda must have done it on purpose, because she knew how this little piece of skin affected her. Wanda was far from prudish, and there was a lot of lovely skin exposed where her clothes didn’t cover. But Wanda had so seldom pulled her gloves down that it had a weird impact on her. Carol was used to nipping, kissing and tasting it. It felt like honey and sun light.  
Wanda grinned carelessly and pulled up her gloves. “Later.”  
“Later,” Carol said, concentrated on the mission ahead. That could wait.

When she was once again inside the Network, she looked up to see the azure sky --- it was the thing she missed most in the Network --- and hailed a taxi, “Russian Embassy, please.”

Passing through the staff at the Russian Embassy with perfect forged documents, Carol arrived at the party held in the ball room, holding a glass of wine in her hands, and making small talk with other visitors. Tonight important data was ready to change hands in a secret auction, and she had to intercept it before the auction was closed. She subtly monitored the crowd. So far everything was in control.

\------Suddenly she found herself in a classically designed ball room, where everyone dressed in the style of Regency costumed drama. Carol found herself dancing with an unknown woman. She wasn’t sure what happened. _Does someone hack into the reality, or is it the Computer?_ The music stopped. The woman slipped a ball of paper into Carol’s hands and disappeared in the crowd. Carol walked to a corner to look at the piece of paper, and there was a hand-written note: “Begin”.

\------Abruptly she woke and found herself in the same Embassy again. Nothing seemed to have changed. Some people threw a suspicious glance at her, but that was all. Carol looked at her hand and found that the note was still here. _What happened?_ The the target made a move and she threw herself into the mission again.

The mission was a success, and Carol was relieved when she returned to the reality. Storm was already waiting there, with a grim expression. “Follow me,” she said, leading her to to a partition that they used as an office. Wanda was already there.

“What’s wrong?” Carol asked.

Storm opened her palm. A mechanical golden beetle was in her hand. Carol examined it. “It is delicate. How do you find it?” she asked.

Storm said, “It flew into our base and Rogue captured it.”

“It’s serious. Someone or some people infiltrated the base,“ Wanda said. She played with the beetle and there was a “click” sound. A small piece of paper appeared. Wanda pulled it out carefully and squinted. “Somethings is written here but it’s too small to see. Hold it for me please.” She handed it to Carol, then she took out a piece of mirror and waved at it. It became a magnifying glass and she put it over the paper. “The writing says, ‘Everything’.”

“Someone’s sending a message. This is not a simple task to make this beetle. He could be a strong ally, ...” Carol said.

“Or a a powerful enemy,” Storm continued. “I gave an order that we’re on higher alert. All of you need to be more careful.”

Carol thought of the incident in the party. She debated whether to tell because she didn’t want to be seen as unstable. But in the light of the situation she decided it unwise to keep the information. “At the last mission...”

Storm and Wanda looked more grave. Finally Storm said, “It could be the same person. We will stop immersion mission temporarily, and looked for the security leak.”

“All right,” Carol said.

Wanda said, “I will look into the probabilities, to find out the pattern.”.

“Do it,” Storm said. Then she walked out of the partition.

Wanda and Carol walked along the corridors together. Wanda looked worried, “I hope we can get to the truth soon.”

“We will,” Carol said. To distract her, Carol said, “I remember that you have a promise.”

“And I always keep my promise,” Wanda said.

Carol asked, “My place or yours?”

“Mine this turn, Come on.” Wanda led Carol into her room. When Carol closed the door, she pulled Wanda into her arms and pressed her lips to hers, as if there would be no tomorrows. They kissed, nipped, only stopped for air, and then they collapsed on the bed. Carol let her sink in the passion, to forget the threat ahead.

Wanda fell to sleep afterward. Carol looked at her and thought about how Wanda helped her to adapt to the real world, how they went on missions together and how they fell in love. It was like a dream, pretty and fragile. She held Wanda tighter.

* * *

Storm gave the order to suspend all the missions, so Carol took the down time to train the younger operatives. This day she was doing hand-to-hand training with Jubilee when there was an alarm, “Warning! Warning! Red Alert! Invaders detected.”

Carol blocked Jubilee’s attack and both rushed out from the gym. They passed the tunnels and reached the main chamber. Cyclops was already there. He glanced at Carol and said, “They’re here.”

“They” referred to the Sentinels sent off by the Computer. Carol nodded, changing into her gear and took off. From the above she surveyed the situation. Very soon she located the Sentinels, ”Let’s go!” she shouted.

Storm was already in mid-air and summoned lightning to roast the Sentinels. Carol took off, dived from the above and knocked off one Sentinel, while Cyclops put own his glasses and blast another into oblivion. One of the Sentinel fired at Carol. While she was about to dock, the Sentinel exploded. Carol didn’t need to look to know that Wanda was here. Together they worked as a well coordinated team and drove off the attack.

After then, at the main chamber, Carol brushed away the sweat on her neck and said, “The attacks seemed to be more frequent.”

“It’s possible that the Computer was planning for a larger scale of attack,” Storm said. “We should announce that it’s back to normal.”

They’re about to return to each of their rooms when Rogue came, pale-faced. “Someone hacked into the computer and left a message.”

They all followed Rogue back to the computer terminal. There was a message in Morse code that Carol could decode in her sleep, “Find me in the dream,” it said, and there was a co-ordinate.

Storm frowned. “Whoever it is, he tore through our defence like nothing.”

Caro pondered for awhile, then she said, “I could follow it up.”

“Is it wise?” Wanda asked.

“He has already found here. There’s not many ways for us to choose.”

Wanda said, “Let me go with you.”

“No. You’re too important to risk. It’s safer for me to go alone. If I didn’t return within hours, “ Carol swallowed, “You can give me up.”

“Carol,” Wanda said. There was an air of solemn silence. Finally Storm asked, “Are you sure?”

Carol smiled. “Sure.”

Storm was silent for awhile, then she said, “If you don’t return within an hour, we will count you as compromised.”

“Fair, ” Carol agreed. Then she turned to Wanda, put a hand on Wanda’s hand and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll be back.”

Wanda held it back and said, “Be careful.”

“See you,” Carol waved at others, and walked to the immersion room.

\------Carol was in a green house. The flowers looked beautiful, though she couldn’t name them. When she approached them, she noticed that they were mechanically made.

“Welcome,” a male voice said.

Carol turned to the voice and saw a tall grey-haired native American man with sincere eyes and a firm jaw. He was about her age, with a cybernetic arm and leg. He looked familiar.

“Are you the one sending for us?” Carol asked.

The man said, “You can say that.”

“Who’re you?”

“You can call me Forge,” the man answered.

The name sounded familiar too. “I only have an hour. Talk.”

“You’re fighting the Computer. I know how to shut it down.”

“How can I trust you?”

“First, do you have a plan for what happened after the Computer was down?”

Carol was silent for a moment, then she said, “I’m mainly the muscle, but we do have a plan. We’re working toward rebuilding the society. It’ll take years, but we’ll do it.”

Forge walked to the right, picked up a flower, and finally said, “Take me to your leader. I will show you the way.”

“And you think I should do it based on your words.”

“To show that I am good-willed, let me show you this.” Forge waved his hands, then a computer terminal erupted from the ground. Carol leaned and saw a lot of incomprehensible commands on the screen, reminding her of the program codes the programmer in the base wrote.

“They’re the program code of the Computer,” Forge said, “You can check up on that. I will send the new location for us to meet later.”

“Let’s see.” Carol guessed she’s nothing to lose. She stretched out a hand, received the data, and disengaged------

Carol was back, and she saw others were here. “You are back,” Storm said warmly. Wanda only put a hand on Carol’s shoulder and smiled at her.

“Wait a minute,” Carol said. She downloaded the data she received into the computer.

“What’s this?”

“Forge said it was part of the program code for the Computer”

There was a spark in Storm’s eyes when the word “Forge” was spoken, but she only said, “Wanda, check it out with the team. If it’s true, it’ll be very useful.”

“All right,” Wanda said and left. Later she returned with a big smile on her face. “It fits,” she said, looking excited.

Carol couldn’t help but grin, “It ‘s good news.”

“It’s great,” Wanda said, “Think of the uses we can have with it.”

“I guess Forge can be trusted. There’s no way the Computer will leak it like this,” Carol said.

Wanda asked, “Do you ask him how to meet again?”

“He said he would contact me again, old method.”

Storm broke the silence and said, “I will go with you this time.”

Carol was surprised, but she assumed Storm knew what she was doing. ”All right.”

Rogue appeared. “There is a new message.”

Carol shared a glance with Storm, then they walked back with Rogue. “Right away.”

* * *

  
Carol and Storm actualized back into the appointed position. This time they were in a workshop. All kinds of mechanical devices and metallic parts scattered. “You’re back,” Forge said, then when he saw Storm, there was heat in his eyes. They held each other’s glance, as if they had forgotten about the others’ existence, Carol almost felt guilty interrupting. She faked a cough. They looked away abruptly.

“You’ve been missing for a long time,” Storm said, “I should be glad your are on our side now, right?”

Forge replied, “I had no choice then. You know that.”

“Perhaps,” Storm said.

Forge said nothing but held her hand.

“Would you mind sharing with the class?” Carol asked. She really didn’t want to spoil the moment, but they actually had things to do.

“Like I said, I can help you take down the Computer,” Forge said.

Storm asked, “How, and where have you been these years?”

“You know my ability,” Forge said, and he looked down at his cybernetic arm and leg. “And I’ve been busy.”

“What’s happened with... them?” Storm asked.

Forge said, “A little price for freedom.”

“We should meet with the others to discuss it. It’s not safe here,” Storm asked. “Where’s your body?”

Forge said, “In a safe place. Let’s go.”

* * *

  
Storm and Carol arrived at Forge’s place. It was full of different kind of machines and Carol noticed a model of a Sentinel.

“You have anything to do with it?” Carol asked.

Forge said, “I designed it. In fact, I designed the Computer. Everything of it.”

“Why?” Carol asked.

“Before the war, dthe military contactted me to make an intelligent environment control system. It was supposed to improve the world. But I guess I should know that like all AI, it would finally go rogue.”

“I told you,” Storm said.

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.”

“Then?” Carol asked.

“The Computer got control of the world, but it feared me though. It knew that I could build a machine counter to it so it kept me as a prisoner. But I finally escape.” Forge said, “Now time to go now. Come on.”

Forge led them to a an open ground. There was a fighter. “It would take us,” He said.

They got in it. It was surprisingly comfortable for a fighter. Carol got in the pilot seat. The plane rose directly off the ground, and then took off in the sky.

“Will the Computer detect it?”

“Its cloaking technology is of the most excellent. It wont be detected,” Forge said.

The flight was smooth. When they landed on a nearby site, they went back to the base. At the meeting room, everyone looked with interest at Forge because he didn’t seem like the usual newcomers - too strong for that.

“Who is he?” Wanda asked.

“He’s Forge, an engineer. He will work with us from now on.”

“Show me to your place,” Forge said.

People looked at Storm. She nodded. Then they led him.

Three hours later, Jubilee returned with an amazed look. “Forge is really awesome.He drew schematics and schematics without thought, but when he showed us his design, it’s really clear that they work much more better. The generator he designs will takes 10% less space, 50% more efficiency, and he built it with nearly a box of scrap.”

Carol looked at Storm and said, “It sounds great.”

Storm only smiled.  


* * *

  
Weeks later, with the installation of the machines Forge designed and built, the living standard clearly improved. The lights were steady and no longer blinking. People could take personal armors to go into the tunnels. They now had flying ships to transport over large open areas. The alarm and defence system was ten time better. Carol found that it was almost like a dream.  
The weapons are getting better and better. They had been on the defensive before, and now they could be on the offensive. Their guerrilla attack were much more deadly.

One day, Storm gathered everyone. “For too long we’ve been working under the shadow of the Computer, but now we had the might to fight back. I know not what course you’ll take , but for me, give me liberty or death!”

There was silence, as everyone knew that it wasn’t easy. But Carol could see that there was no fear nor hesitation on their faces. They shouted, “Yes!”  


* * *

  
“Target at 3 o’clock position!” Carol shouted to the radio. She fired a firethrower at the enemy robots from the sky high above. Wanda waved her hands and several robots crashed together and exploded. Rogue took cover behind the remains of one of the robots and threw a grenade at another. Rainbow coloured energy blasts appeared on Jubilee’s finger tips and she used them to attack the robots. Storm travelled with the wind and summoned lightning while Cyclops blasted another with his eyes beam. THe eney was tough but they were making progress. Carol could feel it.  


* * *

  
In the infirmary, Carol pressed the bandage against the wound on her arms. Forge’s machines helped greatly with the battle against the Computer, but its dying struggle still caused blood and tears to shed. Wanda sat side by side with her, her eyelids dropping. _She must have used too much of her power,_ Carol thought. She held Wanda’s hand, and Wanda looked back at her with a tired smile.

“We’re winning, right?” Wanda said.

Carol nodded. “We’re winning, and we’ll win the war.”  


* * *

  
With Forge’s machines, they finally pierced through the Computer’s defence and reached its heart. Despite the layer of sweat mixed with blood on her, Carol couldn’t help grinning. They won the war now. She looked at the blinking screen and felt a bit ridiculous. So many needless suffering was caused by the grey machine here.

Carol said to Storm, “Do us the honour.”

Storm nodded, inserted the memory device into the Computer slot. It carried a powerful virus that can destroy the AI in the Computer. They held their breath to see the screen showing virus running and only relaxed when the screen showed that the status was complete.

“We won,” Storm said.

There was a cheer in the crowd. Carol looked at Wanda and pulled her into her arms. They hugged tightly.  


* * *

  
The war has finally been won. Carol could taste freedom on her tongue. Despite years of reconstruction ahead, Carol looked at the sky and for the first time in years felt light-hearted.  
Wanda stood beside and smiled at her. They held their hands together. Not far away, Storm and Forge were together, talking.

“We should start to work now,” Wanda said. Carol pressed her hands and replied, “We can wait. It’s a nice day.”

“Yes, it’s really a nice day.” Wanda smiled back.


End file.
